EL CAJON CITY COUNCIL APPLIES TOBACCO RULES TO E-CIGARETTES

Same rules on use, sales now in place

El Cajon 
While not snuffed out entirely, e-cigarettes took a hit at last week when the El Cajon City Council voted 4-1 to make regulations about usage and sale of the devices the same as those that apply to tobacco and smoking.

Additionally, a license to sell vapor products will now be required, as is currently the case with tobacco. Businesses that primarily sell electronic/vapor inhalation products also will need a conditional use permit, a requirement that now applies to smoke shops. Minors are prohibited from buying and using e-cigarettes and similar products.

Electronic cigarettes are battery-powered devices that can provide doses of nicotine and other additives in an aerosol. They are largely unregulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. They come in flavors ranging from apple pie to white chocolate.

City Councilman Gary Kendrick, who brought the issue forward in January, reiterated his stance that e-cigarettes and similarly used hookah pens and pipes, with their sweet flavors and easy over-the-counter availability, entice kids and create future cigarette smokers. Hookah use with any tobacco product, weed or plant is already prohibited in enclosed public places and in certain outdoor public areas.

“We have the opportunity to stop these e-cigs in their track,” Kendrick said.

El Cajon for years has had some of the most comprehensive smoking restrictions in San Diego County.

Smoking is not allowed in any public place in El Cajon, including common areas in multi-unit residences; on city sidewalks, streets and stores; in common areas of malls; in enclosed and unenclosed areas of hotels, motels and places of business; or in bars, restaurants and public accommodations. There are specified “smoking stations” in the downtown area.

A dozen people spoke in favor of El Cajon taking a stand against e-cigarettes, including Cajon Valley School District Superintendent David Miyashiro, who urged the council to be “most protective of our youth.”

Several students from area high schools said easy access has helped increase the use of e-cigarettes among teenagers and gave personal anecdotes to drive home their points.

“It’s becoming increasingly popular, I see it all over at the mall and it’s a nuisance to me,” said Staci Francis, a senior at Santana High School who lives in El Cajon. “My peers don’t see it as harmful, that it’s just vapor, just water.”

Speakers from Communities Against Substance Abuse shared statistics about the growth of the smoke-free devices and said little is known about long-term health effects related to e-cigarette use. They also warned against the “newest trend” of using e-cigarettes as a means of inhaling high levels of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, from butane hash oil.

CASA representatives also praised the city.

“You’re the leaders for public health,” said Lorenzo Higley of CASA “(The council has) demonstrated with your leadership that protecting El Cajon citizens is a priority. This council has made a real public health contribution protecting the citizens of El Cajon.”

Kendrick said he believed “that the primary responsibility of government is to protect the citizens — especially children.”